Piya & Bradley
Piya & Bradley
Our Story
Our Story
If you ask Piya....
Bradley stumbled into Anvil Bar and Refuge on January 11th, 2024, rocking jeans and a light blue waffle-knit shirt—basically the “I’m trying, but not too hard” look. I immediately thought he was cute, but let’s be real, my hopes were not high. After all, my online dating track record was a dumpster fire. But then, something magical happened—our conversation didn’t suck. In fact, it actually flowed—like, smooth jazz-level flowing. By the time I realized I was attracted to him, we’d already gone from one drink to several cocktails, a comedy show, and a dance floor that probably regretted having us. The night ended at some ridiculous hour, and I had no idea how it happened.
The next few days were a blur of me trying to convince myself that “love at first sight” is a myth (spoiler: it’s not). I kept thinking about how absolutely absurd it was that our lives intersected. Seriously, in some alternate universe, Bradley would be at a greasy dive bar in the Houston suburbs, eating wings with one hand and high-fiving Bama fans with the other, while I’d be at a sleek cocktail bar, pretending to enjoy overpriced sushi with my girlfriends. But here we are, defying logic like two mildly sane people in an insane world. I truly believe the universe threw us together because we are soulmates. I’ve never felt this kind of love before—it’s like someone sprinkled glitter in my soul and set it on fire. I can't wait to spend the rest of our days together... or at least until we run out of cocktails.
If you ask Bradley...
Piya and I met the old-fashioned way – on a dating app! Hinge, actually. After a short back-and-forth in the app, she promptly asked me on a date. I liked her direct nature, and she liked that I didn’t want to go to a comedy club for our first date because I wanted to be able to talk to her and get to know her.
Side note: we went to the comedy club’s later show on the night of our first date, after getting to know each other. I called the comedy club our second date (followed by a third date, as we went out dancing that same night).
After that first date, I knew there was something different about Piya, and I think she felt the same. Fast forward a few days, and we met for a second time to watch a playoff NFL game. Fast forward a few weeks, and we’d each met some of the other’s friends. Fast forward a few months, and we’d met each other’s families. I was slowly being introduced to Cyrah and Ayana as Piya’s “friend who works at NASA,” which was probably obvious since I liked to send little stickers or NASA-themed things for them.
She was easy to talk to, open, and honest. I recall a night in my kitchen, early in our courtship, when I brought up the "L" word – love. It had been on my mind a lot, and although it felt fast to both of us, I knew what it was. I could tell she felt strongly about me, too. So I told her, “I love you.” She said it back.
As our love and relationship grew, we questioned if that word was enough. I had felt love before, but this was something different. I’ve never felt like this or had someone so outwardly feel the same about me. I'm still looking for the right words...
Over the following months, I got to know her and her daughters more closely and fell in love with them, too. And, of course, everyone fell in love with Buddy! Now, when we spend time together, it feels like a family. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together, making memories, traveling the world, learning what real sushi is, and fiercely loving the best woman I’ve ever met.